IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/zewdip/11052.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The construction of a low cost airline network

Author

Listed:
  • Hüschelrath, Kai
  • Müller, Kathrin
  • Bilotkach, Volodymyr

Abstract

The paper investigates the construction of a low cost airline network by analyzing JetBlue Airways' entry decisions into nonstop domestic U.S. airport-pair markets between 2000 and 2009. Adopting duration models with time-varying covariates, we find that JetBlue consistently avoided concentrated airports and targeted concentrated routes; network economies also affected entry positively. For non-stop entry into a route that has not been served on a non-stop basis before, our analysis reveals that the carrier focused on thicker routes and secondary airports, thereby avoiding direct confrontation with network carriers. Non-stop entry into existing non-stop markets, however, shows that JetBlue concentrated on longer-haul markets and avoided routes already operated by either other low cost carriers or network carriers under bankruptcy protection.

Suggested Citation

  • Hüschelrath, Kai & Müller, Kathrin & Bilotkach, Volodymyr, 2011. "The construction of a low cost airline network," ZEW Discussion Papers 11-052, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:11052
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/48875/1/666334943.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mata, Jose & Portugal, Pedro, 1994. "Life Duration of New Firms," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(3), pages 227-245, September.
    2. Federico Ciliberto & Elie Tamer, 2009. "Market Structure and Multiple Equilibria in Airline Markets," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 77(6), pages 1791-1828, November.
    3. Oliveira, Alessandro V.M., 2008. "An empirical model of low-cost carrier entry," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 673-695, May.
    4. Charles Boguslaski & Harumi Ito & Darin Lee, 2004. "Entry Patterns in the Southwest Airlines Route System," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 25(3), pages 317-350, August.
    5. Hofer, Christian & Windle, Robert J. & Dresner, Martin E., 2008. "Price premiums and low cost carrier competition," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(5), pages 864-882, September.
    6. Severin Borenstein, 1989. "Hubs and High Fares: Dominance and Market Power in the U.S. Airline Industry," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 20(3), pages 344-365, Autumn.
    7. Richard Disney & Jonathan Haskel & Ylva Heden, 2003. "Entry, Exit and Establishment Survival in UK Manufacturing," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1), pages 91-112, March.
    8. Morrison, Steven A & Winston, Clifford, 1990. "The Dynamics of Airline Pricing and Competition," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(2), pages 389-393, May.
    9. Daniel F Spulber, 2009. "Economics and Management of Competitive Strategy," World Scientific Books, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., number 7171, February.
    10. Joskow, Andrew S. & Werden, Gregory J. & Johnson, Richard L., 1994. "Entry, exit, and performance in airline markets," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 457-471, December.
    11. Scott Shane & Maw-Der Foo, 1999. "New Firm Survival: Institutional Explanations for New Franchisor Mortality," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 45(2), pages 142-159, February.
    12. Reiss, Peter C & Spiller, Pablo T, 1989. "Competition and Entry in Small Airline Markets," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 32(2), pages 179-202, October.
    13. Meghan Busse, 2002. "Firm Financial Condition and Airline Price Wars," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 33(2), pages 298-318, Summer.
    14. Meghan R. Busse, 2002. "Firm Financial Condition and Airline Price Wars," Yale School of Management Working Papers ysm281, Yale School of Management.
    15. Dunn, Abe, 2008. "Do low-quality products affect high-quality entry? Multiproduct firms and nonstop entry in airline markets," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 1074-1089, September.
    16. Harumi Ito & Darin Lee, 2003. "Low Cost Carrier Growth in the U.S. Airline Industry: Past, Present, and Future," Working Papers 2003-12, Brown University, Department of Economics.
    17. Geroski, P. A., 1995. "What do we know about entry?," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 421-440, December.
    18. Mario Cleves & William W. Gould & Roberto G. Gutierrez & Yulia Marchenko, 2010. "An Introduction to Survival Analysis Using Stata," Stata Press books, StataCorp LP, edition 3, number saus3, March.
    19. Federico Ciliberto & Jonathan W. Williams, 2010. "Limited Access to Airport Facilities and Market Power in the Airline Industry," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 53(3), pages 467-495.
    20. Audretsch, David B & Mahmood, Talat, 1995. "New Firm Survival: New Results Using a Hazard Function," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 77(1), pages 97-103, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bilotkach, Volodymyr & Lakew, Paulos Ashebir, 2014. "On sources of market power in the airline industry: Panel data evidence from the US airports," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 288-305.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dürr, Niklas S. & Hüschelrath, Kai, 2016. "Deregulation and the determinants of entry: Evidence from the German interurban bus industry," ZEW Discussion Papers 16-054, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    2. Bilotkach, Volodymyr & Mueller, Juergen & Németh, Adél, 2014. "Estimating the consumer welfare effects of de-hubbing: The case of Malév Hungarian Airlines," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 51-65.
    3. Kai Hüschelrath & Kathrin Müller, 2013. "Patterns and Effects of Entry in U.S. Airline Markets," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 221-253, June.
    4. Bilotkach, Volodymyr & Kawata, Keisuke & Kim, Tae Seung & Park, Jaehong & Purwandono, Putut & Yoshida, Yuichiro, 2019. "Quantifying the impact of low-cost carriers on international air passenger movements to and from major airports in Asia," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 28-57.
    5. Oliveira, Bruno F. & Oliveira, Alessandro V.M., 2022. "An empirical analysis of the determinants of network construction for Azul Airlines," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    6. Richard I.D. Harris & Qian Cher Li, "undated". "Export-market dynamics and the probability of firm closure: Evidence for the UK," Working Papers 2008_17, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    7. Amalia R. Miller, 2010. "Did the Airline Tariff Publishing Case Reduce Collusion?," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 53(3), pages 569-586.
    8. Kai Huschelrath & Kathrin Muller, 2014. "The Value Of Bluer Skies. – How Much Do Consumers Gain From Entry By Jetblue Airways In Long-Haul U.S. Airline Markets?," Articles, International Journal of Transport Economics, vol. 41(1).
    9. Maria José Gil-Moltó & Claudio A. Piga, 2007. "Entry and Exit in a Liberalised Market," Rivista di Politica Economica, SIPI Spa, vol. 97(1), pages 3-38, January-F.
    10. Christian Bontemps & Raquel Menezes Bezerra Sampaio, 2020. "Entry games for the airline industry," Post-Print hal-02137358, HAL.
    11. Guidi, Francesco & Solomon, Edna & Trushin, Eshref & Ugur, Mehmet, 2015. "Inverted-U relationship between innovation and survival: Evidence from firm-level UK data," EconStor Preprints 110896, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    12. Hwa Ryung Lee, 2010. "Bankruptcy and low cost carrier expansion in the airline industry," IEW - Working Papers 502, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - University of Zurich.
    13. Carlos Carreira & Paulino Teixeira, 2011. "The shadow of death: analysing the pre-exit productivity of Portuguese manufacturing firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 337-351, April.
    14. FERRAGINA, Anna Maria, 2013. "The Impact of FDI on Firm Survival and Employment: A Comparative Analysis for Turkey and Italy," CELPE Discussion Papers 127, CELPE - CEnter for Labor and Political Economics, University of Salerno, Italy.
    15. Girma, Sourafel & Görg, Holger, 2001. "Blessing or Curse? Domestic Plants' Survival and Employment Prospects After Foreign Acquisition," CEPR Discussion Papers 2994, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    16. Ciliberto, Federico & Williams, Jonathan, 2010. "Does Multimarket Contact Facilitate Tacit Collusion? Inference on Conjectural Parameters in the Airline Industry," MPRA Paper 24888, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Zou, Li & Yu, Chunyan, 2020. "The evolving market entry strategy: A comparative study of Southwest and JetBlue," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 682-695.
    18. Silviano Esteve-Pérez & Amparo Sanchis-Llopis & Juan Sanchis-Llopis, 2010. "A competing risks analysis of firms’ exit," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 38(2), pages 281-304, April.
    19. Andrew Burke & Holger Görg & Aoife Hanley, 2008. "The impact of foreign direct investment on new firm survival in the UK: evidence for static versus dynamic industries," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 31(4), pages 395-407, December.
    20. Zhang, Shengrun & Derudder, Ben & Fuellhart, Kurt & Witlox, Frank, 2018. "Carriers’ entry patterns under EU-US open skies agreement," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 101-112.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Airline industry; network; entry; low cost carrier;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production
    • L93 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Air Transportation

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:11052. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/zemande.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.